Minister of State Joseph Harmon yesterday confirmed that Cabinet on October 11 discussed the planned acquisition of private property on Carmichael Street and decided to ask Attorney General Basil Williams to provide a report on the matter.
Harmon’s disclosures contradict Williams’ public statements on the issue and will likely raise questions about the latter’s credibility. While he was not present at the October 11 Cabinet meeting, Williams, also the Minister of Legal Affairs, had vehemently denied a Stabroek News report that the planned acquisition of two plots of land had been discussed by Cabinet. He had also denied that he had been asked to provide a report to Cabinet and attacked Stabroek News over its reportage.
Responding to a Stabroek News question at yesterday’s post-Cabinet press briefing, Harmon said that the compulsory acquisition of the two lots to facilitate the expansion of the Ministry of Legal Affairs and Attorney General’s (AG) Chambers had been discussed at Cabinet and a decision was indeed taken for Williams to submit a report. The report is to be submitted by next Tuesday.
One plot of the land belongs to Guyana’s High Commissioner to Canada, Clarissa Riehl and her husband, Thurston, while the other belongs to the Beharry Group of Companies. A Stabroek News report that Riehl was blindsided by the government move to acquire the lot created pressure on the Granger administration to explain its stand. Acquisition of private property by the state has been a sensitive matter for decades.
Both Riehl and the Beharry Group had declined offers made by the previous PPP/C government to acquire the lands and the matter was not pursued. Riehl’s land is located at the corner with Middle Street, while the Beharry plot is immediately north, next to the ministry’s building.
Harmon was quizzed on the issue during the post-Cabinet briefing yesterday and it was then that it was revealed that Williams has to prepare and submit a report on the acquisitions.
Noting that Williams was not at the Cabinet meeting when the decision was made as he was on travel duties, Harmon said that it was decided that the AG would provide a report to Cabinet on this matter after which a final decision would be made. “In the interim, nothing more is to be done on this matter of the acquisition until such time that the AG presents his report and Cabinet deliberates on it. So that is the position,” Harmon said. Sources have told Stabroek News the government will not pursue the compulsory acquisitions.
Asked if he has been given a specific period in which to submit the report, Harmon responded that Williams is to have it delivered to Cabinet in one week, which would mean that it should be available at the next Cabinet meeting which is scheduled for next Tuesday.
“That is the time that it is expected. The AG will provide a report to Cabinet and Cabinet will deliberate on the matter and the public will be informed at the post-Cabinet press briefing,” he said.
Harmon was subsequently asked to state what the report is expected to achieve and whether Williams has been given any terms of reference.
In response, Harmon said that it is no secret that there has been an attempt for the two properties to be acquired under the Acquisition of Land for Public Purposes (Govern-ment Buildings) Act for some buildings to be constructed. He said that Cabinet was briefed on the matter and because the AG was not there its members felt that they should wait on him to be present so that he could give them “everything” which would result in a decision being made.
In its October 12th edition, Stabroek News had reported that Cabinet made a decision to have Williams explain the planned acquisitions.
During a press conference on October 14, Williams said that government was surprised that newspapers have been carrying “erroneous” reports which could bring the AG into disrepute. He then demanded that the media apologise.
“Our government would expect that the newspapers who carried those erroneous accounts, those devious accounts, would do the proper thing because it can’t be right…. It’s a whole heap of untruth,” he said firmly. The government had up to that point not issued a single statement on the Orders or the reports about them.
Williams subsequently said that government could scrap the controversial Orders and all that had happened so far was that a legal process had been triggered.
